Netflix ‘Leila’ is the First Indian Dystopian Series Starring Huma Qureshi, Startling and Alarming!

If you are a fan of cyberpunk, mind-bending television shows or films, surely you won’t like to miss ‘Leila’, the first Indian dystopian drama in a web series format, on Netflix. With Indian actress Huma Qureshi as the protagonist, this Deepa Mehta directorial piece is highly relevant for the current socio-political scenario.

Based on the 2017 released novel by Prayaag Akbar, ‘Leila’ is set in the near future, global unity and brotherhood have fallen apart, and states and cities are divided into sectors by sky-high walls, class, community and sheer anarchy. A time when clean air and water are luxuries, intercaste marriages are completely prohibited, children from such marriages are snatched away from parents and inhumanly treated. Phones calls are restricted, women are subjugated to only ethnic wears and keep their morals high which, of course, conforms to the sector or nation’s standards. Slight misbehaviour would lead to gruesome punishments. It is a story of an anti-democratic world with little to no personal freedom.

But what does the term dystopian suggest? Well, it denotes an imagined state or society poisoned by injustice and suffering.

Huma Qureshi, the leading lady of this Netflix Original series is an agonized victim of this intimidating social stratum who strives to find her daughter against all hostilities. Her land ‘Aryavarta’ aims at building a society of purebloods, developing a woman’s character as per their norms, and on a sarcastic note, women need to appear and succeed in a purity test in order to spend a normal life. Recalling an epic reference, right? Although being much technologically advanced, the frailties of a human character are tearing the ‘Leila’ world apart.

 

The Netflix series also casts Rahul Khanna, Siddharth Suryanarayan, Arif Zakaria, Seema Biswas, Sanjay Suri, Anupam Bhattacharya, Akash khurana among others.

On the directorial board, Shanker Raman, Pawan Kumar have joined veteran and acclaimed director Deepa Mehta. She exclaimed in an interview, “Every dystopian film that is based on a book, a part of it is actually set in the present. Otherwise it wouldn't be relevant to anybody,".

Truth be told, this dystopia is something which alarms the masses, what if this is your reality? Human obsessions, extremist psyches and egotistical orientations are the roots of it.

Yes, I have devoured the entire series and would like you to experience it as well, so that you can share your feedback.

P.S. No, ‘Leila’ is not Huma Qureshi’s screen name here! Unfold ‘Leila’ today!